It seems
apparent that the world did not end at the stroke of midnight on January first,
nor did the lights' ability to function ever falter. What upsets me about all
the Y2K hype is the way that some activists looked
at it.

On New Year's Eve, I was in the
presence of dozens of vegans throughout the night. There seemed to be a
consensus among them that if, at the dawn of the new year, the power went out,
they would bravely go forth and smash the windows of fur stores, visit
vivisection labs, or make a few stops at fur farms. These so-called
animal-lovers tried to look tough by bragging of what they would do so
courageously, if only the Y2K bug set in.

I have one thought for people like
that: Consider all those who have not waited for the lights to go out. Saving
animals can't be postponed for power outages.

I'm sure that this situation is not
isolated to activists in my area, but generally represents many people involved
with animal rights. It is one thing to write "Free the animals ALF" on one's
canvas sneakers and talk big. It is another to actually take the risk and make a
difference in the lives of innocent creatures slated to die. Which type of
person do you think a mink would want outside of his cage when the time
comes?